Cooking

Chopped Steak
Main Course - Serves Two

Ingredients

• 12 oz. Good Steak - Minced (by hand)
• 1 Onion - Minced
• 1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
• 2 Strips of Bacon - Chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions
Heat the Olive Oil in a frying pan until it is hot. Add the bacon and cook it until the fat runs off. Then add the onion and cook them until they are soft, but not browned. Once that is done, add the steak and tomatoes, cover with water and cook until the sauce is nice and think, 30-45 mins.

Braised Lamb and Eggplant
Main Course - Serves Two

Ingredients

• 12-16 oz. Ground Lamb
• 1 Large Eggplant – Charred and Cubed
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Mirin
• 1/2 Tsp Sugar

Directions
Char the eggplant over an open flame until the skin is blackened. Once it is cooled, remove the skin and cut into 1 inch cubes. Saute the eggplant until it starts to soften. Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook until there is no more pink in the lamb.

During the Thanksgiving long weekend I decided I needed to pick up some beer from a family friend at the Hood Canal Brewery as well as a few bottles from the Silver City Brewery and host a beer tasting soirée

Although brew in its self would be sufficient, I think food is in order too.

The plan is to make some saucy, country-style ribs (although nothing can compare to Andrew’s ribs), some tasty side dishes like Potato Curry with Tamarind or Baked Butternut Squash, maybe some yummy bread and of course the obligatory can of beer nuts.

Culinary Challenge #1 – Chocolate-Chili Mousse
Main Course - Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Tofu
• 4 Tbsp. Vanilla Soymilk
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
• 6 oz. Vegan Chocolate - chopped
• 1-2 Dried California or Ancho Chilies - Seeded

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°. Press the tofu a little to remove some of the water. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. It should have the texture of pudding. Pour the mixture into custard cups and bake in a water bath until the mixture firm in the middle. Cover and cool overnight in the refrigerator.

So, I was asked to put my culinary skills to the test…

Gato wanted to know if I had any good recipes for things that contained chilies/peppers…pretty vague, huh? Upon further investigation into the topic with Gato (wandering the Farmer’s Market) he made up his mind on the challenge. He wanted a dessert that contained chilies. Okay, I thought to myself, I can do this. Then he had one more request….he wanted it to be vegan friendly. Now, vegan desserts are tough enough, but a vegan dessert with chilies in it is going to be down right hard.

I am now on the mission of devising a vegan friendly dessert with chilies in it. This will be an interesting journey. I have a couple ideas already in mind, but we’ll see how it goes once I make them.

Tempeh Fajitas
Main Course - Serves Two

Ingredients

• 4-5 oz. Tempeh - Strips
• 1 Bell Pepper - Strips
• 2 Small Tomatillos - Diced
• 3-4 Tbsp Taco Seasoning
• 2-3 oz. Almond Cheese – Grated
• 2 Spourted Grain Tortillas

Directions
Warm the tortillas to make the soft and pliable. Brown the tempeh and set aside. Saute the peppers until tender. Add the tomatillos, tempeh, taco seasoning and ½ cup of water the pan. Bring it to a boil then reduce to a simmer until the water is mostly gone. Top the tortillas with the cheese and the fajita mixings and roll them.

Beef Stroganoff
Main Course - Serves Two

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. Stew Meat - Cubed
• 14 oz. Beef Stock
• 2-3 Dollups of Greek Style Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
• Egg Noodles

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Place some of the stock into a medium sized stove-safe/oven-safe dish with the cubed beef. Cover and place in the oven until the beef is tender. Remove it from the oven and simmer on the stove until all the stock has been reduced to a syrupy sauce. While the beef is cooking, prepare the noodles. Once both the beef and noodles are done, add the yogurt to the beef and stir until the sauce is combined. Stir the beef and sauce into the noodles.

Eggplant Parmesan
Main Course - Serves Two

Ingredients

• 1 Medium Eggplant - Sliced
• 1 ½ cup of Pasta Sauce - Heated
• Parmesan

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Saute the sliced eggplant until tender. Spread some of the sauce into a oven-safe baking dish to prevent the eggplant from sticking while in the oven. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer in the dish and top with the rest of the sauce. Top the whole thing with parmesan. Bake for a 5-10 minutes until the parmesan is perfectly browned.

For those who aren’t fans of lamb, this recipe can be easily adapted to other meats.

Braised Lamb Shanks
Main Course - Serves Two

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Lamb Shanks
• 14 oz. Beef or Vegetable Stock
• 1 Small White Onion - Quartered
• 3 Cloves of Garlic - Peeled and Halved

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the onion quarters, garlic and stock into a medium sized stove-safe/oven-safe dish (I like the Round Ovens from Le Creuset). Reduce the stock mixture to almost a syrup consistency on the stove. Once this is done, place the lamb shanks in the dish, cover and place in the oven until tender.

When it is done, the lamb should come off the bone easily. You can then skim the fat off the pan drippings and make a nice gravy with the rest by adding a bit of water to it.